Sleep Aid Herbs: Secrets toSleeping Well Using Passionflower

This is fourth in the series of natural herbal remedies that I call
sleep aid herbs. And today we're going to talk passion, as in
passionflower (sometimes you'll also see it spelled as passion flower).

Let's start with a little history.

Not surprisingly, native people of North, Central (Aztecs), and
South America have been using sleep aid herbs for centuries. They were
quite familiar with the sedative and anti-anxiety properties of
passionflower.

But it was in 1569 that Spanish Conquistadors in Peru discovered and starting using passionflower.

When these explorers saw the flowers that were growing on the
towering vines of passionflower (vines up to 30 feet high), they were
fascinated by the fact that the flowers on this plant resembled a cross
with a crown of thorns.

It was a reminder to them of the passion of Jesus Christ and they
felt it was a sign from Christ that He supported their exploration.

What are the effects of passionflower?

First of all, understand that this type of passionflower has the
scientific name of passiflora incarnata. So don't confuse it with
another species of passionflower called blue passion flower, which is
not one of the sleep aid herbs.

As an herbal medicine, passiflora incarnata is used for nervous tension, anxiety, agitation, and insomnia relief. It's very popular in the United Kingdom as a mild sedative for providing safe, restful, deep sleep because it has a calming effect.

In Germany, Commission E (equivalent to the FDA in the U.S.) has approved passionflower for insomnia and nervousness.

And speaking of safe, in the United States, passionflower does have Generally Recognized As Safe status from the FDA.

7 things that make this herbal insomnia remedy unique.

All the various sleep aid herbs bring their own unique natural and
alternative chemical quality to solving sleep problems. Passionflower is
no different and has 7 unique qualities:

It provides deep,
restful sleep without the morning grogginess that can happen with drugs.
In fact, sleep expert Hyla Cass, M.D. says that not only does
passionflower provide deep, natural sleep, but it also helps improve
concentration when you're awake.

It may work for
you when other sleep aid herbs fail. For example, some people don't get
benefit from valerian as a sleep aid but they do when taking
passionflower as an herbal sleep remedy.

It can be blended with other sleep aid herbs for an even more effective herbal sleep aid.

It can be helpful for mild cough.

It fights cell-damaging free radicals that we are bombarded with on a daily basis.

It may be effective for some people if their high blood pressure is due to stress.

Perhaps the most striking and unique thing about passionflower is just how effective it is for anxiety.

Although researchers aren't exactly sure how passionflower works
for anxiety and as one of the sleep aid herbs, they suspect it's because
the herb contains various flavanoids that relax nerves.

Here's an example. There were two studies done that compared the
anti-anxiety benefits of passionflower versus prescription drugs.

The first was reported in the October 2001 Journal of Clinical
Pharmacy and Therapeutics. The study concluded this: "The results
suggest that Passiflora extract is an effective drug for the management
of generalized anxiety disorder, and the low incidence of impairment of
job performance with Passiflora extract compared to oxazepam [a
pharmaceutical antianxiety drug] is an advantage."

The second study (May-August 2003 issue of the Journal of
Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences) showed that using passionflower
for anxiety did not run into the withdrawal problems that come with
using diazepam, another pharmaceutical antianxiety drug.

How to take these treatment herbs

You can take the recommended adult dose of passionflower as a tea, in capsules, or drops in tinctures.

As for the capsules, you can take passion flower alone in
supplements or in capsules that contain other sleep aid herbs. For
anxiety, I've read recommendations anywhere from 300 to 500 milligrams
of just passionflower in capsule form up to three times daily.

When consumed as a tea to reduce stress and anxiety, drink one
cup of tea anywhere from one to three times daily to see how it affects
you. Pour a cup of boiling water over one teaspoon of the dried flowers
and let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

Tinctures contain different amounts, but typically, .5 to 2 ml three times daily is a common recommended amount.

Most importantly, for safety and effectiveness, always read product labels for dosage recommendations.

Side effects and precautionsof this sleep aid herb

Fortunately, not much to worry about using this herbal supplement as a
sleep aid treatment because there are almost no known side effects.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Passion
flower is generally considered to be a safe herb with few reported
serious side effects. In cases of side effects, the products being used
have rarely been tested for contamination, which may have been the
cause."

In my reading, the only side effect I found was the possibility
of additive effects when taken with other sedatives. So people who are
taking other drugs for that purpose need to be aware that passionflower
might increase the effect of sedation or drowsiness.

Also keep in mind that because passionflower does produce mild
sedation, you'll want to be careful not to use it at times when you need
to be alert.

And lastly, as with all the sleep aid herbs, don't take
passionflower if you're pregnant. Speak with a qualified health care
professional before considering any medicinal herbs. Other than that,
use of passion flower as a natural sleep remedy is definitely worth
checking out for getting a good night's sleep.

Natural sleep remedy with passionflower

New Zealand's Neuro-Natural Sleep is full of passionflower, green tea extract, valerian, hops, chamomile, and 44 other health and sleep-enhancing nutrients.